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This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.
Taormina, on Sicily’s east coast, is one of Italy’s most sought-after summertime resort towns. But for tattoo artist and painter Alessandro Florio, it’s simply home. The town’s tight lanes and vivid natural environs have long influenced his work, maybe more so in the cooler months than during any other time of year: “For us natives, winter is when we are able to do what the tourists do all summer,” he says. Read on for his take on the dishes to try, the sites to explore, and the road trips around the region that make the offseason the best time to be there.
What time of year do you think Taormina shines?
Taormina is incredible during November, December, and January. Bars, restaurants, and ateliers are still open, but with fewer guests, they’re actually pleasant. In the summer months, I avoid Corso (Corso Umberto, the town's main street) because it’s too crowded. But during winter, I enjoy walking around, sitting with a coffee, and admiring the Baroque architecture that lines the road.
Christmas, when I was younger, was magical because we’d hang around the village streets all day long, carefree—just thinking about it makes me nostalgic. Even now, the town is alive and welcoming during this festive period, and it feels like it belongs only to us. For me, as a painter, this atmosphere is ideal and inspiring.
Who do the locals share the streets with at this time?
It would be wrong to say that there are no non-natives, as I call them, around. People from all over the world have homes here, and they often avoid high season and stay longer during other parts of the year. They love mingling with us natives, and we've formed a tight community. We run into each other on the street, chit-chat, and meet for aperitivi or a meal. In winter, the pace slows down. I often visit friends in their studios, or they drop by mine while I'm working. We exchange ideas and speak in dialect.
Where do you find yourself dining most often during this off-season time?
I love dining at Nunziatina's, a retro-looking restaurant decorated with vintage armchairs, lamps, and pillows. For me, choosing a restaurant goes beyond eating well—it must also be a nice place. My eyes are always seeking strange and fascinating things, and I find them there.
Is there a specific dish you associate with this time of year?
Osteria da Rita is a typical Sicilian family-run restaurant in the historic center. It’s simple but has substance. I always order the same dish: spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes, pecorino cheese, toasted breadcrumbs, and anchovies. I’m addicted to it.
Where else around this corner of Sicily should we visit?
I often go to Catania, a vibrant, young city half an hour from Taormina. My destination is always Via Santa Filomena, a pedestrian street of breweries, and restaurants. My go-tos for drinks are Gloriole, Vermut, and Pamochã, which serves an irresistible combo of bread, mortadella, and champagne. Other times, I visit friends who live on the East Coast in Syracuse and Porto Palo, a fishing village in Sicily’s extreme south—further south than Tunis (Africa). It always feels authentically Sicilian to me: simple and glitz-free. I was once in Modica with my wife, and we sat at a bar in the city center. It felt like being on the set of a Tornatore post-war film.
Are there any specific places that come alive during the winter months?
Well, our climate is great year-round, and getting to enjoy the weather without the crowds is a perk. One captivating place is Casa Cuseni, an early 20th-century villa built by Robert Kitson, an English painter who moved to Sicily for love. It’s now a house museum with a delightful bed & breakfast, a wonderful place where some of the most important 20th-century intellectuals and artists stayed, such as Dalì and the futurist Giacomo Balla—in fact, a fountain in the eclectic garden is attributed to him.
It's the weekend, the sun has set—what's your plan?
My wife and I go for an aperitivo and dinner at Medousa Bistrot or Osteria Santa Domenica, where we hang around until it’s time to continue the night at Morgana, our favorite club. There, everything becomes a fantasy. People lose all inhibitions and let themselves go. We drink bottles of wine and Palomas with mezcal over the course of a very long night.
What can people most likely find you doing during this part of the year?
I’m a slave to my work, which is also my passion. I paint every day, but doing so in winter has an entirely different charm.
